In 1982, twelve years after we opened for business, we sent out our first holiday greeting card derived from a rendering of that year’s most interesting project. Originally meant to have our good wishes stand out from other year-end messages, that annual effort became a much-anticipated signature. It has also accidentally created a history of our office.

The first card – the renovation of a faded century-old commercial building, 122 Fifth Avenue –acknowledged Bromley Development’s pioneering role in the resurgence of lower Fifth Avenue. Next were a new public high school’s gymnasium and playing fields, and then came the preservation of Con Edison’s iconic clock tower at its headquarters building. By that point, the year-ending cards had become a tradition.

Of course, the cards show only a fraction of our work – 4,300 projects across 48 years, a good-sized portfolio. However you shuffle the deck, though, they reflect the focus and achievements of the Helpern office. As you scroll through the collection, click on the projects that match your interest; the link will connect with more information about them on our website.

We salute the owners and developers of these properties. Their commitment to quality and stewardship … their imagination and courage to invest in structures and transform districts … make them significant, even visionary clients. Being known as their architect has built our reputation and client roster.

The holiday cards have had three graphic designers: Carla Hall originated the series, father and son Roger and Ben Whitehouse carried it for the next 30 years, and Red Jar Creative produced 2016’s glamorous depiction of the new AC Hotel by Marriott for OTO Development.

Our Holiday Cards as a Profile of the Firm

Here are some quick facts about the cards – and Helpern Architects – tallied after we created the 35th card:

• All projects – like our work – are in the New York region.
• 16 are tall buildings.
• 14 are mainly new construction.
• 20 involved preservation or renovation. Several places gained an entirely new purpose. Two were resuscitated after major fires.
• 19 are institutional buildings for learning, research, or worship.
• 13 are commercial structures, designed for hospitality or business.
• 4 are structures for fun, like gyms or the Bronx Zoo’s incomparable Congo Gorilla Forest.
• Many are historic or designated, but five are iconic: Columbia’s Low Library, the Con Edison Clock Tower, Marble Collegiate Church (“America’s Hometown Church”), Pratt Institute’s Main Building, and the Nave, or entry pavilion, of Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library.
• 4 were never built. It happens.

1982	122 Fifth Avenue, Bromley Development
1983	Eastchester (NY) High School
1984	Con Edison Clock Tower
1985	667 Madison Avenue, Hartz Mountain
1986	St. George Branch, New York Public Library
1987	Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, New York University
1988	Casa Italiana, New York University
1989	Bank of East Asia
1990	St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
1991	Penn Club of New York, University of Pennsylvania
1992	PS 102, Bronx
1993	Sunset Park Courthouse, NYC Police Department
1994	The Dalton School
1995	Soho Grand Hotel, Hartz Mountain
1996	Congo Gorilla Forest, Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society
1997	Collegiate School
1998	Homestead Village
1999	1550 Broadway at Times Square, Rubenstein Family
2000	Bowling Green Office Building, Braun Realty
2001	Low Memorial Library, Columbia University
2002	Genovesi Center, St. Francis College
2003	School of Management, Yale University
2004	Student Commons, CUNY-Borough of Manhattan Community College
2005	Academic Center, St. Francis College
2006	Center III, CUNY–LaGuardia Community College
2007	Marble Collegiate Church, Collegiate Church Corporation
2008	Cambria Suites
2009	Knox Hall, Columbia University
2010	St. Agnes Branch, New York Public Library
2011	Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites, OTO Development
2012	Fort Washington Collegiate Church, Collegiate Church Corporation
2013	Sterling Memorial Library, Yale University
2014	Main Building, Pratt Institute
2015	212 Fifth Avenue, Madison Equities
2016	AC Hotel by Marriott, OTO Development